Northern Mariana Islands Languages

From FamilySearch Wiki
Northern Mariana Islands Wiki Topics
Flag of Northern Mariana Islands
Northern Mariana Islands Beginning Research
Record Types
Northern Mariana Islands Background
Northern Mariana Islands Genealogical Word Lists
Local Research Resources

Description[edit | edit source]

The official languages on the Northern Mariana Islands include English, Chamorro, and Carolinian. Few people still speak the nearly extinct Tanapag language. Many Philippine languages, Chinese, and other Pacific island languages are also spoken. Spanish is still retained in surnames but is no longer commonly used, though it is still familiar to some elders as a third or fourth language. [1]

  • Chamorro - an Austronesian language spoken by about 58,000 people (about 25,800 people on Guam and about 32,200 in the rest of the Mariana Islands and elsewhere). It is the native and spoken language of the Chamorro people, the indigenous people of the Marianas (Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, which are both US territories). [2]
  • Carolinian - an Austronesian language originating in the Caroline Islands, but spoken in the Northern Mariana Islands. It is an official language (as well as English) of the Carolinian people. Carolinian is a threatened language. [3]
  • Tanapag - nearly extinct Micronesian language of the Austronesian language family. It is spoken in the Tanapag settlement of the island of Saipan in the Northern Mariana Islands. [4]

Word List(s)[edit | edit source]

Alphabet and Pronunciation[edit | edit source]

Alphabet

Pronunciation

Language Aids and Dictionaries[edit | edit source]

Language Aids

  • Aguon, Katherine Bordallo. Let's Chat in Chamorro. Hagatn̋a, GU: Katherine B. Aguon, 2010. Available at: WorldCat.
  • Salas, Marilyn C, Josefina Barcinas, and Roland Miranda. Chamorro word book. Honolulu: Bess Press, 2011. Available at: WorldCat.
  • Chamorro Grammar - Wikipedia
  • Carolinian Grammar - Wikipedia

Dictionaries

  • von Preissig, Edward Ritter. Dictionary and Grammar of the Chamorro language. Washington: G.P.O., 1918. Available at: WorldCat.
  • Jackson, Frederick H, Jeffrey C Marck, and Jesus Mareham Elameto. Carolinian-English dictionary. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1991. Available at: WorldCat.

Online Dictionaries

Additional Resources[edit | edit source]

  • Dallocchio, M B. Everyday Chamorro. Las Vegas: The Desert Institure, 2015. Available at: WorldCat.
  • Osborn, Sarah. Sociocultural and linguistic issues of Chamorro and Carolinian students. Hawaii: University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2000. Available at: WorldCat.

References[edit | edit source]

  1. Wikipedia contributors, "Northern Mariana Islands," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Mariana_Islands#Languages, accessed 23 Jun 2021.
  2. Wikipedia contributors, "Chamorro language," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chamorro_language, accessed 23 Jun 2021.
  3. Wikipedia contributors, "Carolinian language," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carolinian_language, accessed 23 Jun 2021.
  4. Wikipedia contributors, "Tanapag language," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanapag_language, accessed 23 Jun 2021.